According the network, the final round on Sunday averaged a 6.0 household share, compared to 4.4 in 2013 when Jason Dufner won the tournament. A ratings share is the percentage of televisions tuned into a program.

Those are the biggest ratings since 2009, when Y.E. Yang won and Tiger Woods finished second. The last 30 minutes of the tournament produced an impressive 9.2 rating.

By comparison, television's most watched show during the 2013-14 season was "Sunday Night Football," which averaged a 12.8 rating.

McIlroy took home the Wanamaker Trophy with a one-shot victory over Phil Mickelson, his second-straight major tournament victory. The ratings are good news for the sport as Woods missed the cut and defending champion Dufner withdrew because of a neck injury.

Each of the weekend ratings for first three majors of the year were down from the previous year.